Background: He is originally from the Cleveland suburb of Chagrin Falls, graduated from Hope College in Holland, Mich., and received a master of divinity from New Brunswick Theological Seminary in New Jersey and a doctorate of ministry from McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago. Corlett has lived and led Reformed congregations in the Hudson Valley since 1974, first in New Paltz, then Claverack for 23 years and for the past 14 years in Delmar. 1999. He and his wife Susan have two sons, James and Andrew, and two grandchildren, Abbie and Colin.

When did you know that you wanted to be a minister?

I grew up very active in the church, mostly the United Church of Christ. I have always had a very active and inquiring faith and a passion for making the world a more just and peaceful place. I lived through the era of the Vietnam War and civil rights movement. When I was a senior at Hope, a bunch of students put up white crosses along the front lawn in protest of the war in Vietnam. A chaplain came up to me and asked what I was going to do make a difference in the world. Right then and there it clicked for me, I knew that this is what I wanted to devote the rest of my life to.

Is your congregation involved in mission work?

We have an active ministry in a small Nicaraguan village named El Castillo. We try to send members of our church to visit at least twice a year. We really love the people. It really gives us an idea of what it is like to live in poverty. It's an escape from the materialistic secular society we live in. We've helped them build a new church, taught the women to knit, and raised money to supply their schools with basic things like white boards and paper that they simply cannot afford. We've formed a covenant partnership with a council of churches in the area. We are a also covenant partner with the FOCUS churches in Albany, which serve the poor with a food pantry and breakfast program. The churches all worship together on the first Sunday of the month.

Do you find young people are less interest in religion these days?

We are really lucky to have such an active parish. Our church serves as a community center for all of Delmar. We have a lot of bright and passionate youth who are really dedicated to their faith. It is a challenge to try and reach out to young people these days, but if you show genuine faith and integrity they become interested. If young people sense any hypocrisy or feel that what you are saying is irrelevant, they don't want any of it.

Last month, you pedaled through Albany en route from Montreal to Staten Island on the last leg of the 3,900-mile Sea to Sea Bike Tour to fight hunger and poverty. How was that?

One of our deacons, Peter Broderick, and I took a leap of faith and signed up. I thought the tour would be a great way to raise money for a good cause. We've probably put almost 1,300 miles on our bikes training for it. I'm really invested in missions like this. I've always tried to keep an active fitness routine, with varying degrees of success. I love sailing and skiing and now cycling. I'm the fittest I've been in years. I was praying as I was riding up some of those hills on the tour. It was event that impacted me physically, emotionally and spiritually in a very positive way. If felt I could do it only with the support of my church and my friends and family. People come up to me and said, "You did it." I always say, "No, we did it together."